Pokemon: Moonlight Seal (A fan fiction)
by Malraun
Summary: Devastated by loss, Abel must confront his past to survive the future. Will Abel's fateful encounter lead him to his childhood dreams, or will it lead to global ruin?
1. Chapter 1

**Hi! Thanks for viewing my submission! **

**This is the first chapter in a series that I want to do with my own character, Abel, taking the lead role. Like any other disclaimer, I do not own Pokemon or and rights to names, locations, and Pokemon that were created by GameFreak or it's subsidiaries. ;P**

**Please read and I hope you enjoy! Any comments and/or suggestions will be considered and I look forward to the feedback! Thanks again!**

**-Malraun**

**Chapter 1:**

**Early Beginnings**

"Sniff! Use Ember then get in close for Bite Attack!"

My Growlithe, who I lovingly named Sniff, barked three times, each sound carrying small flaming embers to throw his opponent off guard. The opponents' purple Nidoran dodged the flames only to be caught from his side by Sniff's mighty Bite attack; knocking him out instantly.

"Nidoran, return," yelled my opponent. In my eagerness for a battle, I had forgotten her name, but no matter, she'll just be another stepping stone to the Pokémon League. Nothing will stop me.

We've come far from our home in Celadon City. We decided to go north to Cerulean to run a couple of errands and to challenge the gym there. Once we got into town we heard that the gym leader was out on a date or some nonsense like that. So, once my errands were finished I decided to go up to the Cape on Route 25.

I finish up with the last couple of letters on my bag before looking at my handiwork. It reads:

_Abel_

_Age: 10_

_Celadon City, SE_

_Ph: 595-870-5555_

You never know when something could go missing; always have a backup plan!

That's when I hear the sounds of a battle going on further up the cape. Sniff has already heard it but was sitting patiently waiting for me. "Right, Sniff! Let's go check it out!"

We hurdle a few bushes and come across a crowd gathering at the end of the road. Outside of a house there were these men dressed in black jumpsuits. Two of them were behind the third, all of them looked exhausted, and what looked like a trainer was facing them in front of the house. I recognized the man standing behind the trainer as Bill; the inventor of the Pokémon Storage System, or PKSS as he called it in his letter.

The three men in black looked roughed up and after yelling some things at the trainer the one in front threw out a smoke grenade with a flash… they vanished in the confusion. The crowd dispersed, all of them commenting on the spectacular battle they had witnessed. "Aw! Sniff, we were too late;" Sniff barked once in acknowledgement.

I took a step to go talk to Bill when all of a sudden a kid my age backed into me from a nearby bush. "Whoops!" he exclaimed as he crashed into me. After we got up from the ground, the kid introduced himself as Joey. He wore blue jean shorts, a yellow T-shirt and a blue hat. "Hey! Now that we're acquainted Abel, wanna hear something cool?"

Keeping my eye on Bill, I said, "sure, what's up?" That's when Joey flipped his hat backwards and said, "You're up Rattata!" He threw his Poke ball into the air and the red beam shot to the ground revealing a purple and white Rattata with its large white incisors shining in the moonlight. "See my Rattata? He's no ordinary Rattata. It's like my Rattata is in the top percentage of Rattatas!" He starts looking at me with the eagerness of a trainer itching to battle.

"Care to show me how awesome your Rattata is against my Growlithe?" Joey just smiled and said, "Quick Attack, Rattata! Don't let him get in the first move!" Like a bolt of lightning Rattata slammed into Sniff knocking him up into the air! Still in shock I heard Joey say, "Finish it with Hyper Fang!" Next thing I know his Rattata jumped up to catch Sniff in mid- air with his huge front teeth. With that, Sniff was out like a light; it seemed as if Joey's Rattata was truly in the top percentage like he said.

As I carried Sniff away to the Cerulean Pokémon Center, I could hear Joey laughing behind me. I stopped when the laughing stopped. I turned around to see the result of a Pokémon battle between him and that trainer who was with Bill.

My spirit was crushed. That trainer took out Joey's Rattata in a single blow. So fast was the battle, that by the time I had turned around to look, it was over and the trainer had recalled his Pokémon.

Who WAS he?

Why was he so insanely powerful?

If I can't beat a trainer like Joey, what chance have I got against HIM?

Tears streaming down my face, I step onto the bridge toward Cerulean City.

_You'll be alright, Sniff. I promise._

**End Chapter 1**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2:**

**Looking Back While Moving Forward**

The stone looks the same as it did 6 years ago.

It's never easy coming here to the Lavender Town Pokémon graves; especially when it's your Pokémon that you're visiting; it's been really lonely without Sniff. I see all of these young kids with their favorite Pokémon out on the roads and in the wilderness; battling, joking, playing… everything I wanted to do as a kid. Lately all those lost dreams just make me cry.

After our devastating defeat at the hands of Joey and his Rattata, we tried going back out and battling other trainers to get stronger. We became more humble in our victories; especially in our defeats. However, we suffered more defeats than we had hoped; typically to new trainers from other regions. We tried so hard and learned so much, but none of it truly helped us where we needed it.

At the age of 14, Sniff and I decided to give up the Pokémon League for the life of the traveling merchant. Yeah, it wasn't what we really wanted, but there certainly was a market for it. We'd go to remote spots both on and off the beaten path to help trainers who's Pokémon were too tired to go any further. We'd let them rest for the night in exchange for small things that we could resell to buy more food and medicine. It worked out well for us for a good six years.

That's when Sniff got sick. At first he just seemed tired a lot; then he would eat less and less 'til he wasn't eating at all. The nurses and doctors at each Pokémon Center all ran tests which came back negative. What Sniff had couldn't be found or cured. Later that year I laid him to rest in Lavender town with Mr. Fuji and his family.

I still go out to remote spots to help trainers. I don't have any Pokémon with me, so I use a lot of my money on repels and escape ropes to get around easily. I'm not in it for any profit; I'm in it for my friend. I only visit Sniff when I'm nearby since it costs so much to use the magnet train or Skyla's Transport Service; mostly why I don't visit as much as I do is because it still hurts.

"Thank you again Mr. Fuji. I'll always appreciate what you do for our friends here. Remember, I'm just a phone call away if you need anything," I said as I gave him my usual handshake.

"I should say the same for you, Abel. All of the trainers I talk to mention your kindness out on the roads and I thank YOU for what you do for them and THEIR friends," said Mr. Fuji who motioned to one of the kids to bring him something from the back room.

A little girl emerged from the doorway with a yellow box.

"Here, I'd like for you to take care of this for me. I think it'll do you much good." Fuji motioned for the girl to hand me the box after which she scurried behind Mr. Fuji's legs.

"Aw. Don't be so shy with me. Here, these are for you and your friends." I rummaged through my pack and pulled out three Poke' dolls; a blue Nidoran, a pink Jigglypuff, and a yellow Pikachu doll. The little girl's eyes went as wide as her smile as she scooped up the dolls and went to share them with her friends.

"Mr. Fuji, what's inside this box? It's rather heavy for something so small," I said as I examined the outside for any clues.

"It's a gift that was given to me from a friend I met a long time ago. The gift, however, is something for you to find out on your own," he winked.

I made my way toward the door as it was getting close to the kids' bedtime. Running a Pokémon and child daycare would have to take a lot out of you, but Fuji seemed to do it with such ease. Hopefully I'll learn more from what he does and become like him when I get older.

The sun was setting over Victory Road out in the distance which made Mount Moon look a lot bigger than it does during the day. Luckily, by giving the kids those dolls, there was enough room in my pack to set the box. There wasn't any place that looked like I could open it, so I figured it was a mystery I'd look into tomorrow. Securing my pack, I made my way south towards the Fisherman's Pier; my destination was Vermillion City to catch the ship to Johto.

Sniff and I always wanted to live in the Johto region. We went there once, the year before he became sick. I've put off going there since, but the trainers are migrating out. One I spoke to said something about the Unova Region and some new species of Pokémon being found there. Though Kanto is the place for shopping and the World Pokémon League Championships, Johto is the gate to everywhere else.

Heading along the pier I stop at my usual spot that looks out toward the eastern sea. The moonlight from above sparkles against the water and the lapping waves against the pier are always making for a soothing experience when leaving Lavender Town. Two fishermen come up as usual, Bob and Henry, both have healthy teams of Magikarp that they let play in the ocean while we talk and eat. Bob shows me something else that he caught recently, a Seel. The Poke' ball ricochets off the pier and the red light shone into the water revealing his Seel.

"Nice one, Bob!" Henry and I exclaim, congratulating him on his recent catch. "He seems pretty happy to be with you too." I throw out a few treats for Seel and the Magikarp swimming around the pier.

"Yeah, who knows? Maybe I'll have a lucky catch soon too!" Henry was a bit unlucky in the fishing department, but he was one hell of a cook! He said that he learned some recipes from Brock in Pewter City. A few years ago, Brock and Misty, Cerulean City's gym leader, left on a journey with another kid from Pallet Town; Ash, I think his name was. They've been gone since then and from what I've heard from the news; they've been to every region and have seen almost every species of Pokémon to date.

I had a crush on Misty when I was younger. With all young kids though, I was shy to the point of being mean when it came to girls, and regretfully, I made fun of her just to keep favor with the other kids. Needless to say, I don't talk with them anymore.

As we were talking it up and joking around, we heard a rumble underneath us. The floor boards rattled and the sea started churning; out in the distance, an explosion of water shot high up into the air. The Magikarp and Seel all recalled to their Poke' balls for safety, while I and the fishermen looked to see what was causing it all. From the pillar of water I saw two glowing eyes, "it can't be," I thought out loud. Then, the water pillar exploded out raining water on every one of us, even from that distance. We heard a Pokémon cry like we've never heard before, but the figure was one each one of us knew; Lugia had emerged!

Glistening in the moonlight from the water on her feathers, Lugia cried out like a wolf howls to the moon. She was a spectacular sight; luckily, I had my camera. I managed to take two pictures of her before I heard a voice in my head and dropped my camera off the pier. Her voice is like a tinkling of bells and the crash of a waterfall and soothing like waves lapping the shore.

"You, bearer of the Moonlight Seal; you are the one I have searched for many a cycle."

The fishermen had taken the sense to book it to Lavender Town, while I stood transfixed by the sight of such a magnificent Pokémon.

"Moonlight Seal? What do you mean, Lugia? I have no such item in my possession."

"You carry it with you and it has resonated with your anguish. I come now to fulfill my part of the bargain," she said. She was still out over the ocean, bathed in moonlight, all the while speaking to me directly through telepathy.

"I know of your loss and anguish. I know of your lost dreams and unfulfilled hopes. I wish to help you see your true destiny and to help you turn your sadness into strength." Now her voice transformed into the sound of the ocean itself, as if I was submerged in the water.

My last sight was Lugia's eyes and her glistening feathers before my eyes closed in sleep. I remember waking up on the pier, soaking wet with my camera strapped firmly around my hand. Lugia was gone by then, and the sun was rising over the sea. Not thinking, I grabbed my camera and took some shots of the sunrise.

_Why had Lugia chosen to speak with me?_

_What is the Moonlight Seal and why do I have it?_

_She's right; I really DO miss you, Sniff._

**End Chapter 2**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3:**

**The Silver Moonlight Pokemon!**

*Ring ring! Ring ring!*

Standing up on the pier, I reach down to my Pokegear to see who's calling. "Mr. Fuji?" I say under my breath. As odd as it seems that he'd be calling me this early in the morning, I had a feeling he was holding something back about the "present" he had given me yesterday evening.

"Mr. Fuji, just the man I was coming to see." I say this as I gather up the remainder of my Pokegear.

"Good morning Abel. If you are nearby, could you please stop by the Pokémon Shrine? There's something that you need to see."

"Well, coincidentally I am nearby. I actually have a couple of questions for you, to be honest. For instance, what can you tell me of the Moonlight Seal?" I heave the backpack up and insert my arms through the straps. Even with the box empty, this thing always seems to weigh a ton.

"Oh, how do you know its name," he says with a bit of shock in his voice. "Only a few people know its true name…" his voice trails off on the Pokegear as if in deep thought.

Walking towards Lavender Town, I say with a bit of effort, "last night, Lugia revealed herself from the sea and hinted at some destiny I have to fulfill and only MENTIONED the seal. She also mentioned something about my inner thoughts resonating with the seal in some way. Do you know what she meant by that; and another thing, why'd you give it to me in the first place?"

"I see, so it WAS you she was looking for. Abel, come to the shrine; from there I'll explain everything." Mr. Fuji then cuts the connection as if he is in a hurry.

"Hm. Whatever this is, it obviously has a great meaning to him and Lugia. I have a bad feeling about all of this."

I step past the town gate a short time later. The sun had already taken a high position in the sky and the cool of morning was quickly fading away. From the Pokemon Shrine building I see near the floor where Sniff is buried, Mr. Fuji waving from the window.

Making my way inside, I notice that there weren't any visitors yet. "Maybe it's still too early for visitors," I say thinking out loud. I set my Pokegear in my usual spot by the door; mostly out of habit, but trust me, if you had to walk five flights of stairs up AND down with that thing, you'd wish you had left it at the door.

A few minutes later I reach the floor where Mr. Fuji is and I see him standing facing the Sniff's grave. "I'm here Mr. Fuji. I figured it was a sensitive topic since you cut the line so quick, so I suppose this will be a good place for you to fill me in on what's going on?"

"Abel, I'll get to that in a second, but first, take a look at this." Mr. Fuji steps out of the way to reveal an Umbreon that had chosen to sit in front of Sniff's grave. "This is an Umbreon, Abel; that much I'm sure you're aware of. However, can you see anything particular about him?"

I study the Umbreon for a moment before the thought jolts through my head. "He's… silver? I thought Umbreons were supposed to have golden rings, not silver."

"Exactly, this one seems to be completely unique! I've never seen an Umbreon like this before, Abel!" Mr. Fuji is almost jumping up at the prospect of seeing such a unique Pokémon; honestly I can't blame him.

Obviously confused, I say, "Is this what you wanted to show me? Yeah, he seems to be pretty cool, but what does this have to do with anything important, like with what happened with me last night?"

"That's the thing, Abel, there may be a connection! This Umbreon was here when I came in; in this exact same spot as if waiting for something… or someone," Fuji seems to be getting pretty excited, and it's a bit obvious that he's hinting at me, but why… !

"You always lock the doors and windows to keep out people who would damage to the graves! You mean to say, that he got in even though everything was locked?" Fuji seemed ecstatic that I picked up so quickly. He rushed over to me and began talking in quick, hushed tones.

"Exactly, my boy! The fact that this Umbreon is here, waiting next to YOUR Pokémon's grave and hasn't run at the sight of humans obviously means something wonderful! Also consider the fact of your meeting with Lugia last night. There's no doubt in my mind that these two events are connected!"

Having my attention focused on Fuji and my mind sorting the details of what he was saying with the events that are coming together, Umbreon stands up and paces toward us. Fuji notices my eyes training on Umbreon and falls silent; watching with intent.

"I have waited for you, trainer." A voice from nowhere but everywhere speaks to me. Remembering the conversation with Lugia, I immediately pick up that this is a form of telepathy.

"Excellent!" Umbreon said, his voice a pitch lower than that of a young pre-teen boy. "I'm glad that you understand things so quickly, Abel! Yes, I am the one speaking to you, and yes, you are the trainer I have been waiting for. He said I could trust you, and I now see why he would say that."

"He? He who?" Not understanding who he may be talking about, my thoughts bring me back to Sniff and how I wish he were here with me.

"Him, the Pokémon you bonded with so well for all those years; Sniff, I believe you call him." Umbreon said this while turning towards the grave. I looked with him and saw that the grave stone had been bathed in the morning light. This all seems like a dream; this stuff only happens in stories and video games. Nothing like this is supposed to happen in real life!

"Umbreon," Fuji taking his chance to speak, seeing me transfixed to the grave, "You said you have spoken with Sniff; when was this and why haven't you shown yourself until now?"

"This past morning we spoke. He wanders the dream world like all others who rest here. I found him because of the energy he had, and he told me of Abel. Now I know that he has spoken true and that the Moonlight Seal has found a safe refuge."

"This seal," I say as I slowly take my eyes off the stone, "Why do I have it? What makes me so special? Why not choose someone like Champion Red, or Ash or any number of others that do this kind of thing on a daily basis; why me?" Tears well up in my eyes as I say this casting diamonds of light to flood my vision from the sunlight.

"We chose you because of what you have endured; I chose you because of what you have suffered and have left to offer." Umbreon takes a step back and nudges a Pokeball toward me. It rolls until it bounces lightly off of my shoe. "I have chosen you to be my partner, bearer of the seal. With that seal embedded on your forearm, rides the hopes and dreams of those that sleep here, as well as your own salvation."

Picking up the ball and pressing the center button with my thumb, it expands. "I don't quite understand what you mean, but if you say this seal has something to do with Sniff, then I have no choice but to believe you. I accept your offer, Umbreon."

Throwing the ball in Umbreon's direction, it stops short of his body and opens up, engulfing him in a glowing red light; both of which disappearing inside the ball. The ball rocks once then stops, emitting a low tone that signals he has been captured; my reinstatement as a trainer. I then pick up the ball and let Umbreon out.

"Thank you Umbreon, knowing that I have you and Lugia looking out for me, I feel that I'm definitely in good hands." That's when a rumble coursed through the building followed by a sound like an explosion.

"What in the world is that!?" Mr. Fuji yells as he heads toward the window.

"What do you see?" Umbreon and I follow up behind to look for ourselves.

"Oh no! The daycare, we have to hurry!" Fuji yells as he runs down the stairwell.

A few moments later we're at the bottom floor, Fuji trailing just behind. I pick up my Pokegear from the side of the entranceway and peer out towards the daycare. Several figures in long black coats surround the daycare; a hole has been blown into the wall.

"Now, you three: find the seal! The rest of you, case the town! No one leaves until we have that stone!" A woman with green flowing hair says this and the rest scatter at her commands.

"Fuji, stay back; I'll handle this. If you can, get the kids and Pokémon out to safety!" As Mr. Fuji's words are forming on his lips, Umbreon and I race out to meet the intruders face on.

One of the men in black noticed me and decided to step in my way. "Hold it! This town is under our control!" As he says this, he throws out his Pokeball, revealing a large Raticate. "There's no way you're getting past us! I've had this Pokémon since I was a kid, and he's the pinnacle of what a Raticate can become!"

"I knew you looked familiar, Joey." Umbreon and I stand aggressively facing Joey and his Raticate.

"How'd you know my name, and it's Joe now! I haven't been called that since I was a kid…" He takes a moment to study me and his eyes widen in realization. Giving a toothy grin, he says, "Oh yeah! You're that trainer I battled who had a Growlithe, right? That thing was so weak! What happened to him, did you release him to get a new one? Hahaha!"

I feel the anger and bitterness well up inside me almost coming to a boil, when Umbreon says, "it won't do you any good to get mad. You know the truth about what happened; don't succumb to bitterness! Use it as your strength to beat him!"

I close my eyes for a second and exhale; the weight of loss and sadness melting away like the morning fog. My eyes opening again, everything seemed to be in slow motion. Joe's laughter is silent and his movements sluggish; I can see everything in such detail!

Taking advantage of our mental connection, Umbreon shares with me the knowledge of his abilities. "Okay, let's do this Umbreon," I say out loud.

Umbreon blasts toward Raticate in a lightning bolt of silver. Raticate, caught off guard, takes the hit head on and tumbles backward toward Joe. "Hey! How dare you hit my Raticate before the battle's begun! That's our job!"

Giving Joe a happy smile, I silently tell Umbreon to fish it off with a Shadowball. As Raticate bounces to his feet, Joe yells, "Get 'im Raticate! Use Hyper Fang!" As Raticate jumps toward Umbreon baring his massive incisors, Umbreon lets loose a charged sphere of darkness, blasting Raticate out of the sky!

Out of the smoke, Raticate thuds against the ground; some of its hair still caught with dark fire. "Raticate, no! How could you do this to me?" Joe runs toward his Raticate, seeing that it's unconscious and returns him to his Pokeball.

"Joe, I forgive you for making fun of me as a kid; we were all cruel to each other in some way." Joe looks up at me as I offer my hand to help him up.

"Tch! You just got lucky, taking a cheap shot like that!" With that he got up and ran to the green haired woman.

"I think it's best we prepare for trouble, Abel."

"Yeah buddy, we better make it double, look!"

The green haired woman signals for the ones in the house toward me. Three black trench coat wearing grunts exit the daycare and move between me and their leader.

Not saying a word, each of them release their Pokémon; the one on the left has a strong looking Spearow, the one on the right has a Misdreavous, and the center one has a Skitty.

The two on the ends start chuckling while the one in the center speaks.

"So, you beat Joe, huh? Seems like you've chosen the wrong people to mess with; go Skitty, use Slash!"

Skitty runs at full speed and jumps high to bring his claws down on Umbreon.

"Umbreon, catch it with Quick Attack and follow up with Crunch!" I yell, momentarily forgetting my telepathic link.

As Umbreon races toward Skitty at high speed, Misdreavous lets out a piercing Screech, momentarily distracting Umbreon causing his attack to miss. Skitty almost connects with his Slash, but Umbreon deftly hops to the side to avoid the hit.

"Oh, this is going to be good! Look here, we have a lively one, this time!" The girl with the Misdreavous says.

"Now Spearow, use your Wing Attack!" The guy on the left shouts toward the sky as his Spearow rockets toward the ground.

'Umbreon, jump straight up when I say to, okay?'

Without even a nod, I knew that Umbreon understood me. A split second later Spearow came down and his wings began glowing, ready for his attack. 'Wait for it, partner; just a moment longer.' Spearow was just inches from the ground flying at high speed, the three in black all had smug grins as if this would end the battle in one swoop; boy did I have a surprise for them.

"Now Umbreon!" He didn't need me to say anything because he understood immediately and reacted flawlessly. As Spearow's attack was about to strike, Umbreon jumped straight up in a somersault and planted his feet on Spearow's back like a spring board. Caught by surprise, Spearow was slammed into the ground and Umbreon was launched high into the air!

'There's one out of commission; now about the other two, take 'em both out with one ShadowBall!'

There couldn't have been a better set up; Skitty had jumped back next to Misdreavous to clear a path for Spearow. Now that Spearow was knocked out, they were sitting like fish in a barrel!

Umbreon began accumulating darkness around his mouth; black smoke and flame growing immensely within the split moment it took to conjure. The three in black, mouths agape at what had been done to Spearow, only looked up in astonishment to see the end of the battle hurtling toward their Pokémon.

With a massive explosion, Misdreavous and Skitty were knocked unconscious and their trainers knocked backward toward the feet of their leader; the three on one battle was over.

The Pokémon had automatically recalled to their Pokeballs while their trainers were unconscious from the concussive blast. The woman with green hair said, "Well… if you want something done right, do it yourself. Come, Pinsir!"

Throwing her Pokeball high into the air, the red beam shot down to the ground to reveal her blue Pinsir, the stag beetle Pokémon. It easily stood my height without his spiked horns; this would definitely be a test of our skill.

Out from the house, another man in black emerged. He had shoulder length blonde hair and a scar across his cheek. Keeping calm and collected, he said, "Ma'am, shall I offer my assistance or should I keep looking?"

"Keelan, if you would keep the old man occupied while I deal with this one that should suffice. This'll be quick." Taking her gaze off of Keelan, her eyes met mine; I could tell that she was a powerful trainer.

Mr. Fuji appeared standing next to me. Giving out a sly smile, Fuji threw out a Pokeball.

"You did well against those grunts, kiddo, but these two will be a bit more of a challenge. Go, Scyther! Helps us out here, would 'ya?" Out of the Pokeball, Mr. Fuji's Scyther emerged. His sickles shone in the light and were just slightly transparent enough to see through. His wings buzzed with a steady hum 'til he landed on the ground; knicks in his green carapace were a testament to the many battles he had been in. "SCYTHER! Scyther, SCY!" It cried as its blades slid against one another.

Keelan threw out his Pokeball which revealed his Roselia, the rose Pokémon.

"Mara, this match up isn't looking good." Keelan was taken aback by the Scyther that stood before him; after all, bug types are extremely effective verse grass types.

"Then use support skills. Pinsir, Horn Attack; target Scyther to keep him busy!" Pinsir lowered its head as it ran full speed at Scyther.

Fuji didn't even need to speak, Scyther's after image was all that was hit by the ineffective horn attack. Reappearing behind Pinsir, Scyther let out a series of Fury Cutter slashes against Pinsir's shell.

Pinsir, unfazed by the attack, turned around with a rock breaking downward punch. Scyther's Double Team was too quick for Pinsir which caused it to miss entirely and slam his fist into the ground.

Roselia, not taking a moment to spare, began using its flower arms to cheer on Pinsir with Helping Hand. As the petals moved in sync with the cheer, pollen was released into the wind.

'Umbreon, be careful of that pollen. Roselia is known to release poisons and paralyzing agents by using pollen.' This thought was transferred in an instant, but unfortunately, Scyther didn't have the benefit of telepathy. His after image was directly in the cloud of paralyzing spores which caused him to slow down. He wasn't quick enough this time and was slugged by a powerful hit from Pinsir's horn.

"Scyther, what's wrong?!" Fuji exclaimed, only to realize too late that Roselia's pollen had affected him.

"Now Pinsir, Seismic Toss!" The woman known as Mara shouted this as Pinsir clutched onto Scyther to bring him to bear.

That's when I decided to bring Umbreon in. Slamming into Pinsir's back with a quick attack, Pinsir lost his balance, and his grip, and fell forward. Scyther, deftly landing next to Umbreon, nodded briefly just before Fuji tossed a Cheri Berry for Scyther to eat. Eating the berry in one gulp, Scyther's disability faded away almost as quickly.

Roselia, still dancing to support Pinsir, released more spores, only of a darker color; flooding the battle field with poison.

Realizing what had happened, Fuji shouted, "Scyther, use Double Team to blow the poison away!" Scyther then vanished in a fading image only to reappear in a circle around the battle field, seemingly everywhere at once. With the speed of his movement, Scyther formed a powerful Whirlwind, syphoning the deadly spores in a funnel cloud toward the sky.

Roselia, too busy trying to keep her footing, was sucked up into the funnel while Pinsir braced itself against the stinging sand.

'Umbreon, this is our chance! Quick Attack Pinsir then fire your Shadow Ball into the funnel!' Blazing through the whirlwind, Umbreon struck Pinsir's right hoof which sent it reeling backwards and with its balance gone, was sucked up into the funnel with Roselia.

Sliding on the loose dirt to turn around, Umbreon fired his sphere of darkness into the funnel and disappearing almost immediately. A moment later, the funnel of wind and sand turned into a torrent of black fire, exploding in the instant after.

Roselia and Pinsir crashed down to the ground, both unconscious. The concussive blast sent dirt and debris flying in all directions; so much so that Fuji and I had to shield our eyes from the sand.

Once the dust had cleared, Pinsir, Roselia, the woman known as Mara, and Keelan were gone. Looking down at Umbreon, I noticed him smiling; obviously pleased at the result of the battles we had just fought. Fuji thanked Scyther for his hard work and sent him to the house to check on everyone else.

Looking inside the house, I say, "It seems we were pretty quick on our feet, Mr. Fuji. The only damage there seems to be is the hole in the wall; everything else seems to be where you left it."

"I'm thankful for what you have done Abel. You battled bravely today, and truth be told, you had a smile on your face that I haven't seen in some time." He chuckled at this and went to the back room. "Now now children, I'm back. Scyther did a good job of hiding you, he did! Nothing to be scared of; Abel and I scared them off. Hahahahaha!"

Looking down at Umbreon playing with the kids, I realize that Fuji was right. I did enjoy the battles today, even after everything I've lived with as a kid. Maybe this will be a good start for me after all.

Umbreon looks back at me after this thought and smiles knowingly. 'Seems I'm going to have to get used to this mind reading business too, huh?'

'Hehe! It's okay, your secrets are safe with me!' Umbreon said before jumping into the mass of delighted children and Pokémon.

**End Chapter 3**


End file.
